SOCIAL MEDIA

Love List

I use to always get anxious on New Years because I felt like I have to make it this big thing...but over the last few years, I've realized that its almost better when something spontaneously comes together and its most important that you're just around the people you care about and who care about you. xx

Prolific photographer Penelope Umbrico stuns with her work - above are silhouettes in sunsets and sunsets. beautiful! (these are whole entire wall pieces if you happen to see them in a gallery). Here she has taken all of the images that she can find from social media to create these.

Image by me from a Maurizio Cattelan exhibit which reminds me of me when I actually write a blog post.

Who knows. 80% of the time I have no idea what I'm doing. But here's the things I've been doing that I do know:

+ Yoga on my mat made of recycled wetsuits. Is yoga super popular now? Has it always been super popular? What made me start? I have no clue. I just did one day. And I haven't stopped yet and now I can do a headstand!

+ Reading Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance - a memoir about a family and culture in crisis - making sense of America..deemed as "profoundly important" (agree), "essential reading" (agree), "riveting" agree. Vance takes you in to a part of America you think you understand and shows you how little you truly understand.

+ Listening to Groove Armada's Black Lights album from 2012 and loving the 80's fun feel of it. And did you see Sing Street yet?

+ Staying home as much as I can so that I can be within viewing distance of my real Christmas Tree.

+ Enjoying the instagram account for Season Evans - a quilter with the most skills. Her creations are beautiful.

+ Still pondering "Not Afraid of Love", an exhibit that I just saw in Paris by Maurizio Cattelan (image above) at the Monnaie de Paris. He's known for his satirical sculptures and was one of the most interesting exhibits I've ever seen. I can't begin to describe it. Please fly to Paris, see that and then maybe the eiffel tower or something.

+ Feeling funny because my blog/instagram was featured in an article about swiss influencers where they discuss people buying Instagram followers. megalolz. I didn't know this was a discussion out there, but its interesting anyway. My Insta is more personal and not really for my blog - but I love all of you who I'm connected with there! (thanks for pointing that out Dimitri!)

You guyyyys, I actually partnered with a company to like...actually review something. I don't know what got in to me, but when I looked at the website I couldn't really resist, and so I did it. Are we still friends? I DIDN'T SELL OUT!

Uncommon Goods wrote to me and he was all nice and I was all like OK? I think they even spelled my name correctly. And I got to pick whatever I wanted!

I said yes because I checked out the website (and xmas is coming and my birthday) and they had cool things like gifts that get personal like family mugs (amazing). And its Xmas time and I was like "I could get a Christmas present" but then I got something for myself anyway (which happens everytime I go Christmas shopping).

But I really like them - they are all about the popular key words that should be important to all of us...sustainability, supporting artisans, evolution, etc. Each product seems to have a story but I finally chose one because I'm a hippy now and all in to yoga. So I chose the Recycled Wetsuits Yoga Mat a. because its pretty b. because I've needed a yoga mat for like a year and I didn't want a bright pink one which is all I can find. c. its recycled which sounds good and d. Its really pretty.

And I love it. So there's that. I've been using it for about a month and it makes me happy. Its a little on the heavy side but I've never carried another yoga mat so is that normal? And I actually don't have to carry this ever so its fine.

The end.

P.S. Thank you Uncommon Goods!!!!

P.P.S There are so many great Xmas present ideas and men are hard to shop for so here are ideas for the men in your life!

Yoga pants! Hey, these are cool. For the days that you want to cry because you don't want to do it, but you should anyway - then these would make it a little more fun?

I have to give a shout out to Dirty Yoga - an online yoga studio...perfect for hermits like me that don't like to leave in the winter...I started with the month of beginners yoga (so I didn't embarrass myself in a class) and now am doing the normal classes (still without embarrassing myself in a class). Its challenging and thorough and I can do it whenever I want!!...looooove it.

+ Getting involved with Depop - an app where you can easily buy and sell things. I'm kind of impressed with all of the cool things that people are selling on it. I guess Tradono is the Swiss version but doesn't seem as curated.

+ Drinking an almond milk cappuccino every morning. If you have an espresso maker and a milk frother...do it!

+ Perusing the sale section of Upper Metal Class because those items will not be made again! go!

+ Wondering how awful super short hair would look on me but how Ulyana Sergeenko's runway show makes me want it anyway

+ Browsing an interesting and educational amount of short films in 360... at Within

+ Daydreaming of a 5 hour work day. Here's a guy who did it in his company and what he thought.

I've had Golzernsee (a little mountain lake in Kanton Uri) on my 'to go to' list for awhile now and last Sunday we finally made it happen. Here are some pictures from the day...it was glorious! Things of note: Wesley is a hippy and had to do the whole hike around the lake barefoot, there are rocks there that only super heroes can climb, and I can highly recommend the restaurant there by the lake (and their homemade lebkuchen.

We all have days when the weight of our responsibilities is enough to deal with and it’s a challenge to summon the energy to meet one more demand — to show up, even for something like celebrating a friend’s success. But it’s those moments that matter the most. It’s showing up for that kind of stuff that solidifies a friendship

This is something I'm not always good at, but I want to be. I feel pulled in many directions a lot of the time (mostly by my 4 year old, and literally, ha!) - that coupled with my need for alone time, etc...leaves me saying 'no' a lot. But this is something I've been thinking about so much lately. I think that like a lot of people, as I get older, I start to focus on the value of friendships and being there and quality time. Subconsciously, like the article advices, I start to weed out the friends who don't show up because I want to spend my limited time on those who do - on those who think that I'm important as well. Quality is way better than quantity in this case!

I'd love to hear your thoughts as well..

I hope you enjoy the article and it makes you think and become a little bit better of a person. The world and your loved ones and THE FUTURE GENERATION needs you!!!! xxxx

Its not too often that I come across an artist that leaves me flipping through all of their pieces and wondering where I can get them, where I'd put them...all while ignoring the fact that I could never afford them. But I easily envision a house filled with Essam Marouf's work.

I'm sure the company Away and their super cool trendy suitcases has caught your attention already...and predictably, I really love them and want one so bad. Also it has built in cell phone chargers. But what really pulled me in? Their cool Instagram account, tbh - just cool people looking cool with their cool away suitcases and other cool photos that sometimes have nothing to do with suitcases. Basically I'm just fascinated at how they make suitcases look so cool and wondering what kind of target audience I fall in to? The only reason I haven't ordered one is because shipping to Switzerland for some reason is as much as it costs to raise a child and I might as well keep paying the overweight luggage fee with my old huge suitcase as it would still be cheaper? #willneverbecool
P.S. Where did this year go?

I know a few people who have been to Burning Man and of course, it sounds incredible. I heard about this piece of art there this year by Alexander Milov (who was the first Ukrainian artist who received a grant to create at Burning Man) called ''Love''. Its so beautiful and also is what he has to say about it:

It demonstrates a conflict between a man and a woman as well
as the outer and inner expression of human nature. Their inner selves
are executed in the form of transparent children, who are holding out
their hands through the grating. As it’s getting dark (night falls) the
children start to shine. This shining is a symbol of purity and
sincerity that brings people together and gives a chance of making up
when the dark time arrives. - Alexander Milov

I've had this plan to visit Iceland for awhile now, so I've been pinning things to do/places to go when I finally get there. I ran in to Icelands oldest pool (built in 1923) which no matter where you search about it (internet, Instagram, etc) the pictures are always amazing - so its a good one to add to your to do list..

Have a splendid weekend you guys! This picture is one of my favorites from my recent vacation. Its from a pink salt lake in Torrevieja (south of Alicante). By far one of the coolest things I did in Spain! you completely float when you get in and the shore is just pure white salt. Its so beautiful and most of the pictures don't even do it justice!

Anyway, here are a few fun links from around the web...

+ Are you on Snapchat yet? I'm slightly addicted.

+ "Treat people like dirt, and they will be dirt. Treat them like human beings, and they will act like human beings". Norway proves that treating a prisoner like a human being works. An interesting read on open prisons.

+ Sometimes I wonder....a roundup of some of the interesting shoes from paris fashion week.

Hola! I just got back from a 3 week vacation driving a camper around Spain with my boyfriend - that was a TRIP. I can't wait to share some photos..spain is so pretty, so its easy to take good ones at least! I have to organize them...but I've been sharing a few of my favorites on Instagram if you're dying of curiosity!

In the meantime, I'm so entertained by this article about public transport fabrics and why they are the way they are and I never knew a whole life existed in the making and designing of the patterns/fabrics etc. Did you know that in Britain each line has a different pattern on purpose? You have to read this article! And then to take it further, this german artist, Menja Stevenson, did a project where she made clothes from the fabrics and rode the lines and took photos and documented peoples reactions. Anyway, I love this - and you can read the interesting article here: Why are train-seat fabrics so ugly?

You can also read about the fabric and what line its on and buy it here.

a beautiful series by Ward Roberts (you can see more or these photos and his work at his website here) of not just basketball courts but a depiction of memories fading, lives being lived indoors, etc. read more about this series at his site!

First, I apologize for picture quality, we all now how important that is! BUT, I had to share these paintings. I just saw them on a Secondhand group on FB for Luzern - and I thought that they are so beautiful - they are going for 800chf each I believe...but i can just see the quality in these, right?